APSRTC Launches Multiple Digital Initiatives for Buses in the City
Shri Madireddy Pratap, VC and MD, APSRTC launches the Chalo app and Chalo Travel Cards for city buses
The Chalo app, a free mobile app that provides live tracking for buses was launched today at Vijayawada by Shri. Madireddy Pratap, Hon’ble VC and MD of APSRTC, in the presence of other government dignitaries and Vinayak Bhavnani, Chief Technology Officer, Chalo. The app, launched in collaboration with APSRTC, will integrate all 500 APSRTC city buses in Vijayawada into a single live-tracking and journey planner tool. With this launch, Vijayawada joins an elite rank of global smart cities that offer technology-enabled public transport services for their residents.
The free mobile app will benefit 2.5 lakh bus travellers of Vijayawada. The Chalo app empowers commuters in Vijayawada to:
●Know the live arrival time of their bus so they plan their travel accordingly
●Track the live GPS position of their bus on a map
●Plan their trip door-to-door using a multi-modal trip planner
●Find the cheapest and fastest trip options, including all the bus route options to their destination
●Buy their daily tickets directly through the app at a 5% discount and thereby save on every trip
●Buy a one day bus pass on the phone at a discounted price of Rs. 81 which provides unlimited travel on all of the city buses
●Travel safely with features such as Emergency SOS
Residents of Vijayawada can experience the Chalo app right away by downloading it free from the Google Play Store.
APSRTC also launched the Chalo Travel Card, a pre-paid smart card to buy bus tickets on the go. The card can be bought and recharged in any city bus. The card is offered free with a first recharge of Rs. 100, and subsequent recharges can be any amount in multiples of Rs. 10 upto Rs. 3,000 at a time. Each bus will now also have a tap-to-pay machine for ticket purchase and incorporates the latest security technology to prevent fraud and duplication. The Chalo Bus card can be used for buying bus tickets of any amount and hence eliminates the need to carry change. An attractive bonus of 5% is being offered on every recharge - so commuters can travel with both convenience and savings. The card can also be used to buy the 1-day ‘travel as you like’ bus pass as well.
By making it easier to take the bus, the app and the card together are bound to increase the usage of public transport and reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions which are major challenges in a growing city like Vijayawada.
